The Sword of Shannara

When you read this the first time, you will be taken aback, if not simply disgusted, at this book\’s complete similarity to Lord of the Rings. Enough has been said about this. I consider myself to be pretty pioneering in coming to assimilate myself to the text and putting in the work to appreciate it, but I found it to be such a reproduction of the former work that I simply couldn\’t enjoy it and put it down before finishing. A few months later, disappointed in myself, I tried again. This time it felt like a totally new book: I suppose my basic familiarity with the plot allowed me to appreciate the richness of the writing, which is truly awesome. While perhaps Brooks can be faulted for having shamelessly copied from Tolkien, he actually is a great writer, and the adventure and description in this novel is very immersive. I\’m glad that I came to appreciate the book finally, and now I can participate in the rest of the Shannara works! So take my advice: read it twice! If you\’re disgusted the first time, give it a break, then, with fresh eyes, try again, and you\’ll probably see it for what it is.

This is one of the books I read that got me hooked on the fantasy genre. Its clean and promotes strong ethical morals. There is a clear distinction between good and evil, unlike todays fascination with grey characters. Its a classic and one I highly recommend.

Terry Brooks wrote this book in 1977. It was the first of 32 books in the series that stretched from 1977 all the way until this year, when he published the last book in the series, entitled \”The Fall of Shannara – The Last Druid\”. I have read and re-read the series many times over and each time it took longer due to more books in the series. Re-reading is the reason I had to buy another copy. I have read it so many times that the book was literally falling apart! I have embarked on yet another re-reading of this wonderful series. Even though the stories are now very familiar they bring more enjoyment each time I read them. If you are a lover of fantasy fiction, these books are definitely for you! The characters are complex, likeable, but in many ways unlikely heroes who do what is necessary in spite of their fears. Do yourselves a favor and read this book. That is all it will take to get you hooked!

So, I watched the tv show first and found it cheesy but interesting I decided to read how it all got started. It took me a while, but it rang of LOTR with its own twists and turns,completely entertaining. The beginning was slow for me so I found myself reading per books in between, but then I couldn\’t put it down. The characters were courageous, and the story really came together at the end. I was sad for those that were lost, but happy with the ending. I\’m really excited to have the next one to get started on.

I had high hopes for this book and read through first few chapters quickly… unfortunately I found the story, details, series of events and the writing extremely lacking. I even bought the audiobook to go with it and gave up on the book halfway through.

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